


Promise

by heartforhire



Series: Fissures [1]
Category: The Broken Earth Series - N. K. Jemisin
Genre: Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, I Don't Even Know, I Have A Thing For Writing In Obscure Fandoms, I'll add tags later, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-19 03:04:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11304399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartforhire/pseuds/heartforhire





	Promise

Sometimes, she dreams.

The dreams vary: they can are usually of laughter, happiness and giddiness. Of carelessness that wouldn't get anybody killed. Of normality.

Of course, these are only dreams and she knows it, but she likes to indulge sometimes. It removes the frown that has become her default expression. 

These details do not matter. I am simply telling you this to introduce you to her. If you skipped the paragraphs above, I applaud your efficiency. (I don't.)

This next piece of information, however, _is_ valuable.

The sun rises. She doesn't want to leave, but she does it out of necessity. It has only been a short period of time since she had fled from her comm, after all, and she doesn't think they will let her sleep in.

She doesn't pack — she doesn't have enough to. Leaving her comm was not expected. Her runny-sack was still at home, unpacked. Nobody in the comm ever had theirs packed. No one but her mother. Her mother, who had pushed her out of the comm with nothing but the apple in her pocket and the clothes on her body. To be fair, there had been a mob at her back, and those don't stop for anyone or anything. 

She scrambles to her feet, panic beginning to bubble up in her. (Not quickly enough.) The sun is shining into her eyes, so she screws them shut. If there were any obstacles in her path, she could sess them and get out of the way, just like her mother had taught her.

She is running, fast for someone who had only lived for eight years and had no athletic background, but as soon as she thinks of her mother, she stumbles. She recovers quickly though. She is strong. (Too strong.)

She runs until she vomits and the sun is high in the sky. Her skin is burning hot. She runs some more, and then she falls to her knees.

She cannot run anymore. With bleary eyes, she notes the path under her.

The path is either her saving grace or her damnation, depending on who you ask.

(Twelve years from now, she will wish she had let the mob grab her.)


End file.
